About the Wine:
Cantine Bonacchi is a fledgling estate for Montalcino, where it has become a must-know property for Brunello lovers in recent years. A remarkable bottling from Bonacchi’s most prized vineyards in Montalcino, this has a concentration and focus that comes as much from its hillside terroir.

The 2015 Bonacchi Molino del Piano Brunello was crafted by young winemaker Ivan Misuri, who recently won the career-making Giulio Gambelli award. Named for Italy’s "great master of Sangiovese," it’s one of the most prestigious honors a vintner can win in the cradle of Brunello.

Tasting Notes:
Intense bright red tending to garnet with aging.  A buttery scent inebriates the nose. The nose is intense, clean, and characterized by spicy notes reminiscent of berries jam and pleasant shades of vanilla. Majestic on the palate, with a round and velvety body. The tannic plot is dense and enveloping, excellent persistence.

Food Pairing:
Ideal with structured meat dishes, game and aged cheeses.

 

Technical Information

ABV: 13.5%
Varietal: 100% Sangiovese grosso.
Ageing: Stainless steel tanks with temperature control. Aging in oak barrels, in barriques and tonneaux and finally in bottle.

Ratings & Reviews

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About the Winery:

Santi Valpolicella Classico Superiore is a “ripasso” method Valpolicella; meaning that following primary fermentation the wine sees a second fermentation with the addition of Amarone grapes and skins, creating a richer, more complex and more exciting final wine.

Terroir: Santi Solane is sourced from estate vineyards within the original Valpolicella appellation of Valpolicella Classico.

Vinification: When primary fermentation is complete in early winter, grapes, skins and pomace from Santi’s Amarone are added to the vats. The additional sugars from the Amarone trigger a second fermentation which adds additional layers of complexity, rich fruit and structure. The wine is blended and then aged for more 3-5 months in small oak cask followed by an additional 12 months in larger neutral casks prior to bottling.

Tasting Notes:
The Solane Valpolicella Ripasso Classico Superiore is a wine strongly linked to the territory and therefore of great character. It has a beautiful and intense ruby ​color; the typical, clean and complex scent has intense hints of fresh red fruit and maraschino jam, wrapped in hints of vanilla. The taste is warm and frank, balanced, with an elegant spicy and toasted bottom. It has a strong personality thanks to the distinct elegance and subtlety of perfumes, to the flavor and persistence in the mouth. Great and pleasant when young, it improves over time.

Food Pairing:
Accompanies cold cuts, medium-aged cheeses, soups, and lighter meats

Technical Data

• Appellation: Valpolicella DOC
• Winemaker: Cristian Ridolfi
• Soil: Limestone, Sand, Clay
• Alcohol: >13%
• Pack Size: 12/750ml
• Varietals: 80% Corvina, 20% Rondinella

Ratings & Reviews

Wine Enthusiast:
"This has aromas evoking ripe black plum, tobacco and graphite. The forward palate offers raisin, coconut and cocoa alongside smooth tannins."

Wine Spectator:
"This easy-drinking, medium-bodied red shows open-knit flavors of dried cherry and dusty dried herb and ground spice, with a sanguine overtone. Drink now. 15,000 cases made, 4,200 cases imported."

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About The Winery:
Poggio Nardone is situated in the both the southwest of Montalcino as well as the area of Montiano, near the coast of the Maremma Toscana. Wine has been produced in this area for over 500 years. They have almost 10 hectares of vineyards planted to Sangiovese: half in Montalcino, at an altitude of 350 meters above sea level with marl and limestone soil (rich in mineral salts); half in the Maremma area, at an altitude of 220 meters above sea level, on a plot of land formed primarily of sandstone and quartz reefs.

Tasting Notes:
Intense ruby red color with garnet tints. Intense and delicate aromas of fresh fruits with notes of cherry. Dry red wine with a good strength and freshness, along with a nice aromatic persistence.

Food Pairing:
Pairs well with pasta prepared with meat sauces, mushrooms or truffles; complex rice, main courses of pork or veal with sauces.

Technical Information

Appellation: Rosso di Montalcino DOC
Wine Type: Red
Varietal: 100% Sangiovese Grosso
Agricultural Practices: Sustainable
Soil type: Marl and limestone
Vinification: Aged 10 months in oak barrels.

Ratings & Reviews

91 Points - James Suckling:
"A red with attractive fruit and walnut undertones, delivering plenty of character and enjoyment as a simple rosso. It’s medium-bodied with firm yet creamy-textured tannins and a delicious finish. Drink now." (8/2020)

89 Points - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate:
"This wine pours from the bottle with ruby intensity and bright luminosity. The Poggio Nardone 2018 Rosso di Montalcino offers ripe berry notes with cherry and blackberry up at the front. The rest of the bouquet is very simple, following a steady Sangiovese playlist of crushed flower, spice and forest floor. You get that characteristic sour cherry note on the close, to enjoy with a serving of tagliatelle and ragù. Some 10,000 bottles were made." - Monica Larner (Oct 2020)
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About the Winery:
Located north of the village of Greve in the heart of the Chianti Classico region, the Nozzole estate covers a striking, rugged, mountainous area of about 1,000 acres at 300 meters in elevation.   

Notes from the Winemaker:
In order to obtain concentration and complexity in the wine, yields are kept low. The grapes are hand harvested, destemmed and crushed. Fermentation is initiated on the skins in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks, followed by a maceration period of 15-20 days to draw out color and tannins. The wine is racked into no steel tanks for malolactic fermentation before aging for 16 months in large Slavonian oak vats and in bottle a minimum of 3 months before release. The wine is bottled on the estate.

Tasting Notes:
Crisp, ripe, red berry and cherry aromas and flavors and earthy undernotes are shaped by vibrant, fresh acidity and a backbone of firm yet elegant tannins.

Food Pairing:
Pairs very well with meats, poultry and cheeses.

Points of Distinction:

• A classic, traditional Chianti from the Folonari family, making wine since the 1700s
• Matured for 24 months in oak barrels and 3 months in bottle before release
• Estate bottled, from a highly regarded estate

90 Points - Wine Enthusiast: 
"The nose balances the sweetness of cherries, strawberries and vanilla with more savory notes of graphite and wild herbs. On the palate, hibiscus and cranberry bring out the sourness of the cherries, before a salsa finish of chili and tomatoes. Polished tannins create an unctuous texture." - DC (Dec 2023)

90 Points - Wine Spectator: 
"Leads with aromas of earth, tomato leaf and asparagus, followed by flavors of cherry, plum and loam. Dense and lively, with a complex, lingering finish. Rustic and savory, yet distinctive. Drink now through 2033. 150,000 cases made, 24,000 cases imported." - BS (Oct 2023)

 

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About the Winery: 
With a history that dates back to the 1960s, Renato Ratti has long been an innovator of Barolos in the Piedmont region, where he developed new techniques for Italian wines such as in-bottle refinement. Active in writing the rules and regulations for Alba which include the coveted DOCG label, Renato Ratti was one of the prime movers in bringing the wines of Piedmont and Italy to international prominence. Today the reins rest in the hands of his son Pietro and his nephew Massimo Martinelli.

About this wine:
Intense, ruby red. Bouquet of ripe fruit with an undercurrent of spices. Full flavor with long persistence.

It’s a classic Barbera d’Asti with balance between acidity, tannin and persistent aromas, with a good aging potential. A wine suited for important first courses and red meats.

100% Barbera

Ratings & Reviews:

90 Points - Wine Spectator:
"A plush, generous red, offering plum, blackberry and vanilla aromas and flavors, with a hint of violet. The smooth texture picks up a light grain on the long finish. Drink now through 2028. 4,785 cases made, 4,785 cases imported." - Bruce Sanderson (Dec 2024)

90 Points - James Suckling: 
"Notes of crushed red and blue berries with orange peel, cocoa and red flowers. A juicy and vibrant barbera with ripe but crunchy dark fruit and polished texture. Medium-bodied. Racy and flavorful finish. Drink now." (Jun 2023)

90 Points - Wine Advocate:
"The 2022 Barbera d'Asti Battaglione shows an inky dark appearance with bold fruit flavors of blackberry and baked plum. Fruit comes from a site with reddish clay soils and full sunlight from southern exposures. This wine is all about primary intensity and there's no beating around the bush. It shows a soft and opulent texture thanks to four months in neutral oak and delivers a lot of upfront personality. It's an easy-drinking and certainly very charming wine." - Monica Larner (Aug 2023)

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Notes from the Winemaker:
The grapes used to make “ Il Favot” come from vineyards which have undergone periodical implantations, and so have a maximum age of 15 years. The skin soaking is limited to 6-8 days so to extract few tannins and more colour from the skins themselves, with the result of getting a well-coloured wine with a remarkable softness.The barrels (“barriques”) used are 100% made of new wood.

SPECIES OF VINE: Nebbiolo, Michet and Lampia varieties.
VINEYARD: different vineyards in Bussia (Monforte d'Alba).
HARVEST: manual, with grapes selection in the vineyard.
TIME OF HARVEST: mid-October.
VINIFICATION: red, with skin soaking inside stainless steel vats.
VINIFICATION TIME: the must stays on contact with the skins for 6 to 8 days and it is further drawn off; finally, the alcoholic VINIFICATION gets fully complete.
VINIFICATION TEMPERATURES: from 26 to 28 degrees centigrades.
CELLAR REFINING: the new wine , after spending from 5 to 6 months in stainless steel vats and being transferred several times, is poured onto “barriques” (barrels), where it remains for about 18 months and, finally, it will be bottled.

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